Tom Burt of AKKA in Independence is offering free self defense classes for kids and adults. He says even for kids, self-defense is important. It can teach kids to have the necessary confidence and street-smarts to avoid a predator's attack.

"It's not how strong you are; it's how smart you are," Burt said. "If we can empower our kids to know what to do when that does happen, then at least it's less likely that something like this will happen."

The first class will be october 27th for kids at 12 p.m. Tom expects that session to run for 30 minutes. The next class will be for adults on November 3rd.